"A ludicrous incident threatened the smoothness of the reception of the British Squadron at Bar Harbour, Maine. All preparations were completed for giving a hearty welcome to the ships, when a person called Vanness ran the Boer Vierkleur up a flagstaff on his lawn, which is exactly opposite the British anchorage. Moral persuasions having proven unavailing on Mr. Vanness, the offensive symbol was hauled down by main force and placed in confinement in the town gaol."
Ipswich Journal, Saturday 8th September 1900
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_Harbor,_Maine
Was "by
main force" an intentional pun, I wonder? No exact date given, perhaps August 1900?
Edit. - His name was Edward Van Ness.
"It seems a pity that such a to-do was made about the solitary Boer at Bar Harbor. He really did not deserve it. In the first place, very few people are acquainted by sight with the Boer flag. Therefore, if Mr. EDWARD VAN NESS chose to have one made and to hoist it on a tall pole on his grounds, the theatrical display might have been overlooked."
www.nytimes.com/1900/09/06/archives/a-boer-in-maine.html
He died in 1902.
www.nytimes.com/1902/05/10/archives/edwa...ing-a-boer-flag.html
